Veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt has confirmed that he has no plans to return to the director's chair, saying today's filmmaking landscape leaves little room for artistic freedom. The director, who helmed several acclaimed films over the decades, believes creative expression has increasingly become secondary to commercially driven formulas.

Mahesh Bhatt decides to step back from direction

Bhatt, who directed nearly 50 films before largely stepping away from direction after 1999, made a brief comeback with Sadak 2 in 2020. However, he has now made it clear that the film was an exception and not the beginning of a new chapter in his directing career.